by Saksham Talwar of the Blogging Junction (Contributed)
Wikipedia defines Web Hosting as “A service which is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web”. Web hosting in easy words means to store your files online that can be accessed online. A place which allows you to do so is called a web host.

There are two types of web hosting if we look at monetary terms. First is “Free Web Hosting” and other is “Paid Web Hosting”. 

Let’s take a closer look at both.

Free Web Hosting

No one has the same budget. Everyone has different budgets. Some of us can afford to pay money while some cannot. Here I mean to say that, some can buy web hosting and at the same time some cannot. Here people turn to free web hosting 

Free Web Hosting seems to be a good idea, until you start using it and then you start experiencing problems with it.

Advantages:

1. It’s FREE!
2. Good for people with low or no budget at all.
3. Useful for test sites or blogs.
4. Good for family or personal sites or blogs.

Disadvantages:

1. Very limited web space.
2. Online File Manager mostly not present.
3. Mostly no CPanel. So it is difficult to use.
4. Strict advertisements in the site hosted.
5. Less chances to host your own site. This means you have to host on a sub-domain with them.
6. No auto scripts install services.
7. No data security.
8. Service can be stopped any day anytime.
9. Very poor support.

I feel that these free web hosting services are mostly running on advertisements on their site. And we can think that when their advertisements earning source ends, the service will naturally end. These services should not be used if you are going to create a site for a long term or for your business. Use these only for testing purposes and use free domains like “co.cc” ones.

Paid Web Hosting

Paid web hosting is one where you have to shell out some money in order to stay online. Although we have to spend money, we are on the safe side. Now-a-days, paid web hosting isn’t that expensive. One can get a good host for just about $40 – $50 per year.

Advantages:

1. Good web space and bandwidth.
2. Various tools to enhance your website or blog.
3. Mostly auto scripts install services will be provided.
4. Most of the companies provide 24/7 support.
5. Data security. Strict legal action can be taken if there is some data loss.
6. Uptime guarantees.
7. No advertisements placed on your site.
8. Security for data and also against viruses provided.
9. Self domain can be hosted.

Disadvantages:

1. Need to shell out money.
2. Some good hosts have too high rates.
3. If one chooses wrong company, it can lead to waste of money and can put you in deep trouble. So always verify before choosing a web host.
4. Some hosts don’t do just as they guarantee.

There are no much disadvantages of Paid Web Hosting as you pay for it. I recommend you to choose a paid web host. Also not only choose a paid web host, but also don’t forget to verify its uniqueness. Don’t just read customer testimonials in the web host’s sites. They can be fake. Read web host reviews on other web hosting reviews sites.

Some Free Web Hosts:

1. 000 Web Host: http://www.000webhost.com/
2. Webs: http://www.webs.com/ 

Some Paid Web Hosts:

1. Web Host Giant: http://www.webhostgiant.com/
2. Hostgator
3. Exclusive Hosting: http://www.exclusivehosting.net/

The Blogging Junction has been online since August 2009. It is for everyone who has an interest in Blogging and wants to go ahead in Blogging and to one who is seeking Blogging help. There are articles and news of interest with topics ranging from promoting your blog to design and coding as well as industry news and views and of course about Blogging.